


Aww Nuts

by hjea



Category: British Actor RPF, Star Wars RPF, The Great British Bake Off RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-19
Updated: 2016-02-19
Packaged: 2018-05-21 16:22:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6057988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hjea/pseuds/hjea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John's signature bake gets off to a rough start, but at least he gets a new nickname in the process. </p><p>It's Nut Week on The Great British Bake Off!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Aww Nuts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [awesofying](https://archiveofourown.org/users/awesofying/gifts).



> Happy Birthday, Carrie! Even if you're currently having an awesome time in Disneyland WITHOUT ME, you still deserve all the fluffy Peanut OTP GBBO AU in the world. 
> 
> And, yes, I know there hasn't been a Nut Week on any of the GBBO series so far. Doesn't mean there won't be. Just think of all the awful pun possibilities Mel and Sue would get their hands on!

In the production tent, John watched as Mel, Sue, and the director walked off into the grounds to film the opener for the week’s episode. John had heard them as they flipped through the script earlier, and knew it was mainly “prepare to go nuts” and “bust your nuts” jokes. 

Unsurprisingly. 

Since it was nut week. 

John turned and bumped his shoulder against Daisy’s who was sitting with her head cradled in her hands, muttering ingredient ratios to herself. “New week! Are you nervous?” 

Daisy looked up at him in disbelief. “Of course I’m bloody nervous! I’m always nervous! And you’re nervous too, I can tell now.” 

“Yup.” John grinned, jiggling his foot against the stool. “But I’m excited too. Week five, Dais! We’re almost halfway through! And I’ve got something brilliant for the signature first up. I’m about to blow them both away.” 

\--

Paul looked at him across the table, face unreadable as always. “I generally hate peanut butter.” 

“Jesus.” John breathed out. “Of course you do.” 

\--

When the cameras had moved to the next table, Mel trailing with a sympathetic squeeze to his hand, Daisy cleared her throat until he turned around. “You know he’s just messing with you, right?” Daisy reassured over her gently bubbling custard. “I’ve seen Paul eat peanuts in lots of bakes in the last few series.” 

John groaned dramatically. “That man has a singularly sick sense of humour.” 

“I don’t know.” Daisy snickered. “I think it’s reassuring to find out he has _any_ sense of humour at all.” 

“Maybe.” John slumped against her counter, noticing from the corner of one eye that their little commiseration session had caught the attention of Richard, one of the second unit camera guys. John straightened as the camera pushed in, and dipped his finger into Daisy’s bowl of chocolate shavings until she thwacked him with her wooden spoon. 

“Oi, none of that! Better you get back to your peanuts… Peanut,” she added with a wink. 

John licked the chocolate off his finger with a defiant waggle of his eyebrows, and turned back to his oven as Daisy’s giggles filled the tent. Behind the camera, Richard smiled and gave them a big thumbs up. 

\--

“John, my love,” Sue said an hour later as she languidly draped an arm across John’s back. “You know peanuts aren’t technically nuts.” 

John shot another despairing look at Daisy over his shoulder--his fifth of the morning. She laughed and threw a chocolate-covered hazelnut at his forehead. 

\--

After suffering through the obligatory piercing stare, Paul finally declared that the sugar peanut and fried plantain flavours in John’s filling were inspired and well-executed. “You’ve taken two strong and distinct flavours and balanced them perfectly without overwhelming the rest of the dessert,” Paul proclaimed, gesturing with his knife as he sliced mercilessly through layers of sponge. Mary didn’t seem nearly as won over, but she gave him a wink and a “well done” before they moved on to Daisy’s “simple but scrumptious” chocolate hazelnut tart. 

Daisy melted with relief when the director cut at the end of the judging segment, raising her hand weakly to meet John’s proffered high five. 

“I told you. This is our _week_ , girl, I can feel it!” 

Daisy pulled a face. “Let’s not get cocky--there’s still the bloody technical first, and then showstopper tomorrow.” 

“Nah.” John shook his head. “We’re both aces at technical now. You know it, _Peanut_.” Daisy snorted with amusement to hear her joke volleyed back. “And with nuts? What on earth could they come up with that’s that bad?” 

\--

“Well...” John patted Daisy’s back half-heartedly as she whimpered into the side of the tent. 

“At least neither of us came _last_.” 

\--

The next morning’s filming of the march to the tent was more of a mad dash since, in true Bake Off fashion, it was absolutely bucketing out and some poor assistant had apparently misplaced all the production’s umbrellas. After shaking off the rain and letting makeup fuss over all the contestants, the director then decided that something was wrong with all the lighting, and she and the DP had a quiet but intense argument in the corner before they could start the baking. 

John blew out a breath, hands swinging together in boredom as they waited to start. He turned and surveyed the rows of ingredients arranged on Daisy’s table. “I didn’t know you were baking something with peanuts.” 

“Last minute adjustment.” Daisy was bent over her recipe, jotting down last-minute notes. “just for the decorating, it’s not changing the whole bake. I cleared it with production last night, they said it was fine.” She looked up at John with a funny look on her face. “In fact they were oddly _really_ into the idea.” 

“Huh.” John made a face back. “That is odd.” 

\--

“Can you lend me an extra bowl, Peanut?” Daisy asked frantically, as they entered the second hour of the showstopper. 

“Yeah sure thing, Peanut.” John replied, pushing the bowl in her direction without taking his eyes from his caramelizing sugar. 

\-- 

“So John…” Mel and Sue materialized on either side of John with a couple of cameras in tow during the break. “You and Daisy seem to be getting close.” 

“Uh… yeah.” John looked back and forth between the grinning faces of the respectively blonde and bespeckled women. “It’s no secret we’ve become good mates. You know, we’re the same age and the youngest ones here. We’re both from London--” 

“Eight _million_ people are from London, John.” Sue pointed out. “You don’t seem to be calling them all Peanut.” 

“Oh well, that’s just a joke from yesterday. That Daisy started.” Behind the camera, John noticed that Richard was starting to grin in the exact same way as Mel and Sue. It was disconcerting.

“It’s an _adorable_ joke.” Mel continued. 

“Oh well that’s us,” John shrugged and smiled back at them, deciding natural charm was--as usually the case--the right choice to go with. “Adorable through and through.” 

“Good lord, you are too much.” Sue gave him a one-armed hug.

“Agreed.” Mel echoed, and squeezed his other side. Simultaneously they turned and gave him a smacking kiss on each cheek, and John grinned down the camera lense, hamming it up for all it was worth. Despite himself, he felt his face beginning to heat in a fierce blush, grateful at least that the cameras wouldn’t see. He had a feeling he hadn’t fooled either host. 

“You’re a good sport, John.” Mel murmured kindly once Richard had lowered the camera, lingering to ostensibly wipe a trace of lipstick from his cheek. 

“Good luck!” Sue whispered as she brushed past him, nodding none-too-subtly in Daisy’s direction as she wandered back on to set chewing a banana. 

“What was that about?” Daisy asked when she returned to her station. 

“Spoilers, man!” John covered with bluster and a wink. “You’ll have to wait and see it on the tv just like everyone else.”

\---

“You’re not going to collapse, you’re not going to collapse, you’re NOT going to collapse.” John whispered sternly to his marzipan turrets. 

“It absolutely IS going to collapse if you keep fussing like that.” Daisy reached across the table and rested her hand lightly on his wrist. “Breathe, Peanut. You’ve got this.” 

\--

After the wrap, John and Daisy leaned tiredly against the contestants’ lockers, the last two left as they waited for the PA to pick them up and take them to the London train. 

Daisy yawned hugely behind her hand, and then offered John a tired smile. “Of course Barbara got star baker.” 

John rolled his eyes. “Of course she did. _Again_.” 

“I mean she’s lovely!” Daisy added quickly. 

“Oh yeah, super lovely!” 

“She reminds me of my gran in a lot of ways, actually.” 

“Oh yes? That’s nice.” 

Daisy drummed her fingers against her empty locker. “I really want to beat her though.” 

“God me too.” 

“Bloody Barbara.” 

They both laughed, and sound echoed around the empty room so startlingly loud that they had to muffle themselves before someone came in to check on them. Possibly with a camera. 

“Hey. We made it through, though.” 

Daisy nodded, face bright pink in her effort to stifle her mirth. “We did make it through. Well done us.” She lifted her hand for a high five and John smacked it with relish. 

“And you know what else, Peanut?” 

“What’s that, Peanut?” Daisy beamed at him, grin stretching ear to ear. 

“I’ve got a really good feeling about next time. I think pastry is definitely going to be our week.” 

\--

Barbara was pastry week's star baker again. 

But they made it through.


End file.
